Sessions 15-16: Saile & Beyond; Onwards and Outwards

After Vow suggested a dinner, the Hunters spend some time sorting through their loot. After which, the group heads down to the central market of Saile for a cheap picnic dinner featuring some rather concerning slop. Laughs are had and stories exchanged. All around, a good time is made.

Patch suggests going to he highest point in the city together to gaze upon the stars before the team sends Vow on her way. They figure they need to head over to Greenhall anyway, so they walk over there. It is peak hours at the gambling hall, and a similar doorman greets them. Palatine Flashlyte, Capitoline's twin, stands at the door. The group decides to play him in a game of Liar's Dice. Toni, Gab, and Filtar deal in. The rounds go by and eventually Gab manages to pull off the win.

They move up and Sila allows the group to exit her window. Onika produces some glyphs for the group for them to essentially hang on the cliff wall of Saile. Sila joins them as they gaze upon the stars together. After a while of this relaxation, they decide to go back inside and return Vow to her body.

Patch raises the head up to the umbilical cord and it almost magnetizes to it. A moment passes in silence before everyone hears within their heads in Vow's voice, "Run". The humongous form of Vow's full body crashes into the room, her eyes flickering between all of their shades. The Hunters stand their ground. Vow tears through them as they frantically figure out what to do. They all try multiple spell effects but she shrugs them off like nothing. After stalling her out, Sila finds a weak point and sings to Vow, charming her to leave Saile. The massive beast obliges and returns through the roof once more.

The party informs Sila that they still want to take her up on the offer to go to Elyse to learn about how Maius are raised from the dead. Sila offers for them to converse in a conference room a few floors down. They all move downstairs and have their chat. Sila says that the Hunters may take one member of the Scent with them to assist as well as to keep everything in line with both parties. She notes that she has had informants tell her that Whitebloom themselves may also be moving on Elyse soon for their own reasons. Thus, the mission is simple: Get to Elyse and discover its secrets before Whitebloom does. Retrieve any knowledge before them.

As they are discussing, Toni notices a weird haze in the room with them. It disappears. Moments later, a figure bursts through the door covered in blood. He looks quite similar to the twins Capitoline and Palatine. He desperately calls for Sila to come downstairs, stating that there had been a massacre on the main floor. Sila goes to hold him as he dies. Sila weeps for him, Aventine, and his brothers before rushing downstairs. The Hunters follow after. When they get to the main gambling hall only blood and gore greet them. There is not a soul left alive. Patrons and staff alike are strewn about in pools of mixed blood. The party sees a dumbfounded Sila on her knees in shock. Gab spots the main quartz door closing shut and the party darts off.

Outside, Gab commands the blur to halt. As it does, the invisibility drops to reveal... a second Gab? The party's Gab goes up and grapples the imposter, but a third Gab appears behind him. The second Gab pulls out two familiar daggers and jams them into the real Gab, knocking him unconscious. The rest of the party joins in to tangle with these two imposters and eventually sends them running. During the fight, however, Onika casts Message on the dagger wielding Gab they know as Miranda Qifall. And but a moment later their expression is filled with shock as they glance at Toni.

When everything calmed down, Filtar brought Gab back up and Onika darted away. Gab and Filtar split up to go around the taverns of Saile spreading the news that Whitebloom is responsible for the massacre at Greenhall. Meanwhile, Patch and Toni and Vordia chased after Onika back to their house. They knocked a number of times but got no response. Thus, Vordia took it upon herself to climb up to the roof and call through the trapdoor. Onika poked their head out with a gloomy expression and the two talked about what happened briefly. Onika whispered something to Vordia and said to maybe be wary of Toni. After expressing that they wanted a bit of alone time in their house for the night, Vordia hopped down and the three of them set out for the Whispering Woad to get some rooms.

(I KNOW THIS JUST JUMPED INTO PAST TENSE FOR SOME REASON I AM SORRY I AM SLEEPY)

Gab and Filtar feel fairly successful in their endeavors to spread the news about Whitebloom, so they return to Greenhall to check on Sila. She still remains kneeling on the floor in shock while her gang is busy cleaning up. Her ambassador Tylieri is there with her. Gab and Filtar talk with Sila briefly, but Tylieri suggests coming back in the morning once the emotions settle. The two of them retreat to Onika's house themselves before their goblin friend tells them that the rest of the party is staying at the Woad tonight. The two of them make their way over to the tavern and everyone goes to sleep.